FML with Kelly Sue DeConnick

Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast

What a difference a week can make, huh? When we recorded our conversation with Kelly Sue DeConnick, we were still weeks away from the American election, but now, here we are, living in its aftermath. We couldn't have been the only ones with three little letters rattling around our brains these last batch of days. FML. You're damn right.

Kelly Sue DeConnick's new comic, done in collaboration with artist David López, colorist Cris Peter, and letterer Clayton Cowles, is very much about managing your life and your family's lives while the world around you burns. What was once relatable has suddenly transformed into our bloody lifeline. Call it a coincidence. Call it fate. Whatever, we needed this comic at this moment.

FML #1 hit shelves last week, courtesy of Dark Horse Comics. At its center is teenager Riley, a heavy metal monster movie maniac eager for his journey to begin as the pandemic and rampaging forest fires threaten to snuff it out. His mom, Patty, used to be cool, but now she's just a mom - going through her own existential crisis. The everyday world is hard enough for them, but then a ritual during a party goes sideways, and suddenly, witchcraft and monsters are no longer so fanciful.

Kelly Sue DeConnick is an artist we've admired for years. We never miss a comic with her name on it, and we get an extra buzz of excitement when it's a creator-owned expression. FML is a deeply personal narrative mirroring DeConnick's experience, but it's not a replica. We dive into the challenges of springboarding fiction from reality, discussing how her family responds to her fiction and how FML became a necessary endeavor. Be sure to follow her Instagram.

In our introduction, we also discuss how art can shape action and how action absorbs anxiety. All we have is each other. We must watch our backs and stand when it feels so easy to lie down. Democracy is a fragile notion, but there are organizations that are built to fight alongside us.

Please consider these charities:

• The Trevor Project

• RAINN

• American Library Association

• NAACP

• The Hero Initiative

If you or someone you know is in crisis, reach out:

• The Trans Lifeline is available 24/7. Run by Trans People for Trans People - Call 1-877-565-8860

• The LGBT National Help Center

  • Youth Talkline (Ages 13 - 25) is 1-800-246-4564

  • The National Hotline (All Ages) is 1-888-843-4564

  • Senior Hotline (Ages 50+) is 1-888-234-7243

• The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - dial 988 or visit www.988lifeline.org to chat with someone online.

• You can also call The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 for gender-affirming and queer-friendly support.

Other Relevant Links:

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Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.